The Cleveland Browns face a daunting challenge at the start of the 2024 NFL season. Nick Chubb, their star running back, has been ruled out for the first four games. He will be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) leaving a significant void in the team’s backfield. This really does not come to a surprise to any Cleveland Browns fan but it is nice to officially get some sort of communication on how long he is going to be out.
This most likely means that Jerome Ford will be the RB1 for the Cleveland Browns while they wait the return of Nick Chubb. Ford who stepped in for Chubb in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season had a very mediocre performance for most of the season.
He ended with 813 yards on 204 carries, averaging 4 yards per carry. He was honestly used a lot more out of the backfield as a receiving back tallying five TD’s, one more than his four rushing.
The Browns also brought into camp this year Pierre Strong Jr. and D’Onta Foreman both of which have looked not great and have some bumps and bruises in this preseason. So what does this mean for the Cleveland Browns running game?
Knowing Kevin Stefanski it does not mean a whole lot. Stefanski for some reason even with Nick Chubb has a love hate relationship on a weekly basis running the football. Despite the statistic that shows when Nick Chubb carries the ball at least 20+ times the Cleveland Browns almost always win the game.
Regardless, Jerome Ford as the only healthy and viable option jsut 11 days before the NFL season kicks off is not ideal. I would expect the Browns to make some kind of trade for another running back that might be available after final roster cuts because they have a tough 4-game stretch to start the season.
If the Browns are in the market of running backs I would suggest that they possible look to see if Alexander Mattison is available.
After letting go of Josh Jacobs, the Raiders are banking on Zamir White to be the new workhorse, but they’ve also brought in Alexander Mattison for some insurance. Now, Mattison had a decent run with the Vikings last year—racking up 892 yards—but his 3.9 yards per carry wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire, and he struggled to really get Minnesota’s offense clicking.
To make things more interesting, the backfield in Vegas is getting pretty crowded. Sixth-round rookie Dylan Laube has been turning heads in training camp and seems to have locked in his spot on the roster. So, Mattison more than likely might find himself on the wavier wire and I think the Cleveland Browns should be the one to pick him up.
At the end of the day the Browns season is going to come down to three things. First, can Deshaun Watson after being out of action for another 300 day stretch look great or at least look better than a 40-year old Joe Flacco? Second, will Nick Chubb come back from injury after 4-weeks or will he be out for much longer. In my household my wife tells me from her years as a physical therapist that he will be lucky to ever play in the NFL again. Finally, despite all the questions on the offensive side of the football, will the defensive secondary be good enough to keep us in games?
There are a lot of questions we all have as Browns fans heading into the season and next week I will predict each games outcome on the schedule. In the meantime lets see if we make any moves in the next week and hopefully land us a prospective RB to replace Nick Chubb.
Day #26 of Sportsbetting
Today’s Starting Bankroll: $1,871.14
Bet Size: $18.71
(Yesterday’s Bets) 👇
I had another winning day which is always nice to end the week. I have learned that in fact the betting week does end on Sunday’s.
$200 ➡️ $200K Challenge Bet: Rafael Devers Over .5 RBI’s
- Luckily he hit a solo shot in the 4th to get the RBI we needed. Ended up on the day 1-4. This does take me to Level 1.3 for the first time in a long time.
AS Roma vs Empoli Over 2.5
- This was a nail biter. We nicked a goal in the 45′ from Empoli which in the end was the difference. Empoli scored from the PK spot to take a 2-0 lead against a heavy favored Roma team who was playing at home. In the end they did get one goal cashing my bet. However, they did lose 2-1.
Nantes vs Auxerre Over 2.5
- A scoreline of 2-0 would have you say that I just missed winning this bet. However, the second goal was in the closing seconds of the match and a red card to Auxerre in the 53′ changed the whole completion of the match.
Chicago Cubs vs Miami Marlins Over 8.5
- I am going to count myself very lucky to hit this number. It took a 4-run rally in the bottom of the 8th from the Marlins and a Ian Happ double in the top of the 9th but we narrowly edged this out. Marlins won 7-2.
Parlay of the Day: 2 RBI’s
- Marcell Ozuna: 0-3, 0 RBI’s
- Tyler O’Neill: 1-4, 1 RBI
- Corey Seager: 1-4, 1 RBI
Day #25 Profit/Loss: +13.38
What I Learned:
Red Cards Change Everything: I have been learning rather quickly that in a soccer/football match a red card completely changes the complexity of the match. If the team that is favored receives a red card more than likely that is going to kill an over bet as they might not score and most certainly will try not to lose. The time that a red card occurs is also important to note. Earlier in the match in my opinion is better. It allows both team managers to make adjustments and I tend to see teams try and still be aggressive a man down. Later in the match teams tend to just park the bus in front of their goal.
Day #26 Best Bets Today
$200K Challenge
- Level 1.3 ($8 ➡️ $16) – Michael Massey Over 1.5 HRR (+115)
#1) MLB Bet: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Over 8.5 (-115)
#2) Serie A: Verona vs Juventus Over 2.5 (+115)
#3) Greece Super League: Olympiakos vs Kallithea Over 2.75 (-135)
Parlay of the Day: 2+ RBI Milestone
Alex Verdugo +700 | Matt Olson +500 | Julio Rodriguez +600 = +33500
